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12 Resources to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

Do you have a LinkedIn profile, but want to improve it so you can get better exposure?

Over the years, LinkedIn has evolved to include several elements that improve their users’ experience.

If you want to use these elements to create a stronger LinkedIn presence, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article I’ll share expert tips and resources that will help you create a killer LinkedIn profile that gets noticed.

Why Improve Your LinkedIn Profile?

Whether you use your LinkedIn profile to generate leads, be searchable or maintain your expert status, you should have a profile that reflects who you are.

You need a multitude of items to make your professional profile stand out. A professional photo should be a no-brainer. Also, use your full name and fill in as much of your experience as you can.

Check out this helpful infographic on MaximizeSocialBusiness.com.

These are the basics. There’s much more you can do to propel your profile to “rock-star status.”

Here are four sections you can improve to make your LinkedIn profile really stand out.

#1: Headline Resources

Possibly the most important part of your LinkedIn profile, your headline is your hook. It should be memorable with a hint of a tease that makes people want to read more.

10 LinkedIn Headlines That Stand Out From the Crowd: The Undercover Recruiter Jorgen Sundberg shares 10 unique headlines from a variety of fields. The examples are interesting, creative, funny, professional or memorable, and many are all of the above. My favorite comes from Gordon Rae from the United Kingdom. His reads: “Quite possibly the only person on LinkedIn who isn’t a results-oriented team player with excellent interpersonal skills.”

Find more examples of LinkedIn headlines on TheUndercoverRecruiter.com.

How to Make your LinkedIn Headline Stand Out: By default, LinkedIn populates your headline with your current title and company, and a lot of people let that stand. This Forbes post by Jenny Foss has suggestions for taking control of your LinkedIn headline. It suggests you succinctly state your specialty, speak directly to your audience, include important keywords and be specific and creative.

SimplyHired.com shares how you can improve your LinkedIn Summary section.

How to Write a “Sticky” LinkedIn Summary: A sticky LinkedIn profile “identifies a target reader… and it clearly paints a picture of how you make that target reader’s life better,” according to Anton Volney in an article on Kim Garst’s website. Volney takes an existing LinkedIn Summary and edits it to show how he would improve it to “pack a wallop.”

Find out how to create a better LinkedIn Summary on KimGarst.com.

#3: Work History Resources

Your job history should be more than just a list of paid positions. As with the summary, it should be written with your audience in mind. It should also have all of the bells and whistles that highlight your experience.

LinkedIn: What to Include in Your Work History: This article from Warren White on Careerealism suggests you focus on making sure your most relevant information for your audience “is available, well-organized and close to the top of your profile.” Warren then goes into detail about what positions need to be included, and suggests that volunteer positions go into your work history, as opposed to at the bottom of your profile.

Careerealism.com shows you what to include in your LinkedIn work history.

#4: Endorsements and Recommendations Resources

You know the old standby, “Do unto others…”? Well, endorse others and they’ll likely endorse you, too! Endorsements validate your experience and accomplishments. Take an active role to make sure you have recommendations from a variety of people.

Find out what you should know about LinkedIn recommendations from Mashable.com.

Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Endorsements: On Forbes, Susan Adams spoke with career coaches and executive recruiters, as well as a spokesperson from LinkedIn to determine the best way to use endorsements to your benefit. One recommendation is to fill out or edit your own Skills and Endorsements section instead of leaving this section to be populated by others. This ensures people endorse you for what you consider your primary skills.